A match made in Disney: Saving money on our wedding in a personal way

With the average wedding cost at an all-time high, bride-to-be Catherine Hiley offers her tried and tested ideas to cut the costs in a meaningful way

Image gallery

Image gallery

Like a lot of engaged couples, we’re trying to save money on our wedding where we can. But we’ve found that choosing cheaper options can have benefits for more than our bank balance.

From making our wedding feel more personal, to helping the environment and even giving a little something to those less fortunate, we’ve found that spending less is actually making our day more personalised and closer to how we want it.

Here’s a few ways the cheaper option has worked out better:

1. Sending out virtual invites

Rather than paying for expensive invites to be made, printed and posted, a very talented friend of ours designed virtual invites that we can email or send on WhatsApp.

Not only has this meant we could send our invites without it costing a penny, it also lets our guests RSVP instantly without anyone having to pay for a stamp. WhatsApp comes with the added benefit of the two blue ticks, so we can check that everyone’s seen their invitation and chase people up for a reply if we need to.

And best of all, no trees were harmed in the making of our virtual invites. So they’re great for the environment.

2. Creating a wedding playlist

Instead of hiring a DJ or a band, we’re putting together our own playlist for the evening. Which means that we’ve got exactly the right versions of all our favourite songs.

And we’re asking all our guests to send us a couple of song requests that they promise to dance to, so it’s helping our guests to feel more included in our day.

3. Decorating the wedding cake ourselves

Wedding cakes are ridiculously expensive. But it seems that the main reason why they cost so much is the intricate decorations.

By watching a few YouTube tutorials and using some stencils I bought online, my mum and I have managed to make our own fondant flowers and other decorations.

So, we’re buying a naked cake and decorating it ourselves. Thereby saving ourselves a fortune and giving me and my mum something fun to do together.

4. Doing my own hair and make-up

While I want to look my best on the big day, my fiancé is very keen to stress that he wants me to still look like me. So what better way to make sure I look like me than by doing my hair and make-up myself?

My best friend and I plan on going for a few free make-up tutorials so I can pick up some tips and I’ll have a chat to my hairdresser next time I go in to see if she has any suggestions. But doing it myself on the day will save me money and make sure I have full control over how I look.

5. Making our centrepieces and decorations

We want our wedding to be completely unique and special to us. So by making our own decorations and centrepieces we can make sure they’re exactly what we want.

Besides, my fiancé and I are both quite creative, so it’s something fun can do together.

6. Getting our wedding favours from charities

With all the money we’re spending on the wedding, we’d like at least a little bit to go towards a good cause. So, we’re buying our wedding favours from a few charities that we’d like to support.

Not only will this work out pretty cost-effective, but it will mean that the money we’re spending will do some good too.